Princeton University Athletics
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Cross Country Teams Head to Ivy League Heptagonals With Big Performances In Mind
October 25, 2006 | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country
Can the Princeton women's cross country team continue its stellar 2006 season with its first conference title since 1980? Can the Tiger men's cross country team have a breakthrough performance after finishing a tight second a year ago? Those questions will be answered Friday when the Tigers travel to New York City's Van Cortlandt Park for the 2006 Ivy League Heptagonal Championships.
The men's race gets underway at 10:45 a.m. on the famed cross country course in The Bronx, while the women's race begins at 11:45 a.m. Results will be available shortly after each race at IvyLeagueSports.com.
The Princeton women, ranked 22nd in this week's USTFCCCA poll, appear to be the race favorites after a host of outstanding performances so far this fall. The Tigers, the only nationally-ranked Ivy team as of this week, won the 35-team Paul Short Run at Lehigh Sept. 29, defeating nationally-ranked Wisconsin and Tennessee. Two weeks ago, Princeton was the ninth-place finisher in the "Blue" race at the Pre-National meet at Indiana State, running against some of the nation's top teams.
Senior Mia Swenson, the team's top finisher in every race but one, leads a Tiger group that has excelled thanks to quality in every class, including a terrific group of freshman runners that give Princeton tremendous depth. Swenson finished just five seconds behind Heps race favorite Lindsay Donaldson from Yale when the Tigers ran against the Bulldogs and Harvard earlier in the season.
Freshmen Christy Johnson, Liz Costello, Alexa Glencer and Reilly Kiernan have all had great results this fall, while experienced runners like Catha and Caroline Mullen certainly know what Heps are all about.
"We've had a strong season as a team," says Princeton women's coach Peter Farrell. "We have a strong freshman class and a group of veterans who are rounding into shape. As always, Heps will have great competition, and we expect a tough race."
The Tigers, and six other teams, will be looking to break Columbia's stranglehold on the Heps team title. The Lions have won the last four Heps titles, while Princeton has finished second each of the last three years.
The Princeton men made a big leap to second place a year ago and the Tigers are among the favorites, along with 2005 champion Dartmouth, to win a Heps title in 2006.
Junior David Nightingale and sophomore Michael Maag are as good a tandem on the course as exists in the league, while Paul Rosa, Frank Tinney and Brett Campfield are all consistent scorers who have the potential to have big races on Friday.
Princeton, receiving votes in this week's USTFCCCA men's rankings, has had some excellent results in big meets this fall. The Tigers were the seventh-place finishers out of 34 teams at Minnesota's Roy Griak Invitational in September and finished in 13th place out of 36 teams in the Pre-Nationals "White" race two weeks ago in Indiana.
"Dave Nightingale and Michael Maag have looked good and look prepared to be among the leaders at Heps," says Princeton assistant coach Steve Dolan. "Dartmouth was a worthy champion last year with such a low score, and we certainly hope to challenge them for the title this year."
Dartmouth's Ben True is back in 2006 to defend his individual title from a year ago. Princeton is looking for its first Heptagonal cross country title since 1999, when the Tigers won their third straight conference title.